The present invention relates to printing presses and more particularly to specialty feeders, for example card or cover feeders.
Gathering devices such as perfect binders, saddle stitchers and mailroom inserters may use hoppers or feeders to collect sheet material. A saddle stitcher or perfect binder may for example collect folded printed materials fed from hoppers or feeders onto a saddle or perfect binder conveyor, respectively, to form a magazine or other printed product. In the context of the present application, the term hopper and feeder are used synonymously.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,039 purports to disclose an apparatus for delivering sheets particularly cover sheets from a supply thereof to a saddle-type collating apparatus for assembly with other signatures. The cover feeder is constructed to first score the cover then fold it.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,724, hereby incorporated by reference herein, describes a signature collating apparatus such as an inserter having a plurality of hoppers delivering sheet material to receiving locations on a conveyor.
U.S. Publication No. 2006/0103064 purportedly discloses modular signature feeders that include a frame having a base configured to enable the modular signature feeder to be removably attached to another modular signature feeder or a signature transfer assembly associated with a signature collation feeder assembly.